Mr. College Football blogMr. College Football bloghttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com
Sun, 31 Jan 2016 21:52:30 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/bd787b8ca5421acc51c375a7b5d00ba1?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngMr. College Football bloghttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com
First College Football Playoff a success; but what about next year?http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/15/first-college-football-playoff-a-success-but-what-about-next-year/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/15/first-college-football-playoff-a-success-but-what-about-next-year/#respondThu, 15 Jan 2015 13:20:20 -5Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:20:20 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=568By just about any measure, the first College Football Playoff was a success. Both the semifinals, which were viewed by 28 million, and the championship (33 million) set all-time records for a program on cable television.

But before the before we close the book on the 2014 season and start looking ahead to Spring practice, here are five burning questions about the future of the CFP:

By just about any measure, the first College Football Playoff was a success. Both the semifinals, which were viewed by 28 million, and the championship (33 million) set all-time records for a program on cable television.

But before the before we close the book on the 2014 season and start looking ahead to Spring practice, here are five burning questions about the future of the CFP:

1) The numbers were great for this year’s semifinals (Rose, Sugar) on Jan. 1. But what about next season when the semis (Cotton, Orange) will be on Dec. 31?

Keeping the semifinals on Jan. 1 was not an option for the CFP because the Rose (5 p.m. ET) and Sugar (8:30 p.m.) are fixed and are not going to move. CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock told me that his group believes that fans will treat New Year’s Day as a two-day holiday instead of one. “Whoever hosts a New Year’s Eve party now has to have a bunch of TVs,” said Hancock. “We think the fans will embrace it (having semifinals on New Year’s Eve.)”

2) Any major tweaks for next season?

One of the problems the BCS had, said Hancock and others, is that every time an unforeseen problem arose, there were immediate changes. The CFP wants to let this thing breathe for several years before even trying to modify it. Hancock said there may be fewer meetings of the selection committee and thus fewer rankings released. There were seven last season. That would be a natural change because the college football calendar is one Saturday shorter (14 instead of 15) next season. Look for the committee to meet five or six times.

3) What is the Big 12 going to do?

The Big 12 was the Power Five conference that got left out and a big reason why was the absence of a 13th, or conference championship game. But TCU coach Gary Patterson told a group of us in Dallas that he really didn’t see his conference overreacting to the disappointment by adding two teams to get to 12. “You really have to look at something like this for several years and see how it plays out,” said Patterson, whose 12-1 team looked as good as anybody after beating Ole Miss 42-3 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The fact is that if TCU had not blown a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to Baylor and finished 12-0 the Horned Frogs, not Ohio State, would have been in the playoff. How’s that for irony?

4) Any changes on the selection committee next season?

West Virginia AD Oliver Luck is moving on because of his new position with the NCAA. He will likely be replaced by a sitting AD from the Big 12. Archie Manning told reporters that, after sitting out this season with health issues, he hopes to return in 2015 but has not made a final decision. The committee will have a new chairman as Jeff Long of Arkansas completes his term.

5) What about the future sites for the CFP Championship?

Next season’s semifinals will be in the Orange and Cotton Bowls on Dec. 31. The championship game will be in Glendale, Ariz. on Jan. 11, 2016.

The semifinals for the 2016 season will be the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. The championship will be at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 9, 2017.

The bid process for the national championship game will begin in February with three new sites scheduled to be awarded in September. Hancock said he expects somewhere between 8-12 cities to submit bids. Armed with a new stadium that will be completed in 2017, The Atlanta Sports Council and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will bid for the championship game of January 8, 2018.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/15/first-college-football-playoff-a-success-but-what-about-next-year/feed/0barnhart1953This time, Meyer will take a moment to smell the roseshttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/13/this-time-meyer-will-take-a-moment-to-smell-the-roses/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/13/this-time-meyer-will-take-a-moment-to-smell-the-roses/#respondTue, 13 Jan 2015 13:21:51 -5Tue, 13 Jan 2015 13:20:20 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=563Dallas–It was the morning after Ohio State’s 42-20 win over Oregon for the first national championship of the College Football Playoff. And as the media is wont to do in the age of Twitter, they tried to get Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to quickly turn the page to next year’s team, who’s turning pro, and what the future could hold for the Buckeyes’ program. Ohio State’s eighth national championship ...]]>Dallas–It was the morning after Ohio State’s 42-20 win over Oregon for the first national championship of the College Football Playoff. And as the media is wont to do in the age of Twitter, they tried to get Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to quickly turn the page to next year’s team, who’s turning pro, and what the future could hold for the Buckeyes’ program. Ohio State’s eighth national championship was less than 10 hours old.

In a previous life Meyer would have been way ahead of the media on this one. He would have skipped the team celebration back at the Anatole Hotel and the few hours of sleep he could get afterwards. He would have arrived at his final media obligation Tuesday morning with a schedule in hand for for Thursday, when his coaches can go back on the road recruiting.

But not now. In a packed interview room at the Renaissance Hotel, he looked to his left to see quarterback Cardale Jones, whose life has been transformed in less than two months, and safety Tyvis Powell. This was a special moment. He knew it and he wanted them to know it.

“This is something I learned on my journey,” said Meyer, who turned 50 on July 10. “I’m going to enjoy this thing and I want them to enjoy it, too. This is very special.”

Meyer’s journey to this moment, which included two national championships at Florida (2006, 2008), almost never happened. He left the profession in 2011 and sat out a year from sheer exhaustion. But Meyer, a proud son of Ashtabula, OH, returned in 2012 as the head coach at Ohio State. Today, after only three seasons in Columbus, Meyer is 38-3 with a Big Ten championship and a national championship. His team won three games against Wisconsin (Big Ten championship game), No. 1 Alabama (national semifinals) and No. 2 Oregon with his No. 3 quarterback. It was nothing short of a tour de force of coaching where Meyer willed his team to win.

And with the win Meyer became only the second coach in FBS history to win national titles at two different schools. Nick Saban (LSU, Alabama) is the other. He becomes only eighth coach in FBS history to win three or more national championships. And after last night’s game it can be argued that Urban Meyer deserves to be in the conversation with Saban as college football’s best coach.

“I’m humbled…and appreciate the people who did it and that’s our players,” Meyer said after the game when the comparisons were made to Saban.

With the quality of talent Meyer has returning, his Buckeyes could be favored to repeat as national champs in 2015. They will certainly be in everybody’s preseason top five, particularly if all three quarterbacks–Jones, Braxton Miller, and J.T. Barrett–return. Jones, a third-year sophomore who has had the best three-game start a quarterback has ever had, might be wise to turn pro, as crazy as that sounds. The deadline for that decision is Thursday.

“His stock may be never higher than it is right now,” said Meyer. “But we’re going to have that talk.”

Meyer would entertain the notion of winning a second straight national championship, but only to a point. When he won it at Florida in 2008 and had quarterback Tim Tebow returning in 2009, Meyer was obsessed with repeating. It eventually took a toll on his health. He has better learned how to handle both success and failure.

“I think we’ll be very good,” said Meyer, who has 20-game winning streak at three different schools (Utah, Florida, Ohio State). “The main thing you have to worry about is complacency setting in–and we’ll address that. A college football team is a complicated machine. We have a lot of talented guys on our team. We will have that conversation but not today. Right now we’re going to celebrate this one.”

And off he went to do exactly that.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/13/this-time-meyer-will-take-a-moment-to-smell-the-roses/feed/0barnhart1953Logic says take Oregon, but I like the Buckeyeshttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/11/logic-says-take-oregon-but-i-like-the-buckeyes/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/11/logic-says-take-oregon-but-i-like-the-buckeyes/#respondSun, 11 Jan 2015 12:23:20 -5Sun, 11 Jan 2015 11:39:53 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=554Dallas–Here are my top five story lines and a prediction for Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game between Ohio State (13-1) and Oregon (13-1):

1) The Ohio State defensive line: Oregon was averaging 49 points per game when the Ducks took on Auburn in the 2010 BCS championship. Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof was able to slow Oregon because defensive tackle Nick Fairley controlled the middle of the line of ...]]>

Dallas–Here are my top five story lines and a prediction for Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game between Ohio State (13-1) and Oregon (13-1):

1) The Ohio State defensive line: Oregon was averaging 49 points per game when the Ducks took on Auburn in the 2010 BCS championship. Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof was able to slow Oregon because defensive tackle Nick Fairley controlled the middle of the line of scrimmage and made quarterback Darron Thomas stay in the pocket. Thomas had 363 yards passing in the game but the Ducks scored only 19 points. Monday night the role of Nick Fairley will be played by Michael Bennett (6-2, 288) and Adolphus Washington (6-4, 295) with All-America Joey Bosa at end. Coach Urban Meyer said Monday that those guys have been playing well as of late but now they have to face. …

2) The unbelievable efficiency of Marcus Mariota: In addition to his obvious talent, there has probably never been a quarterback who has protected the football better than the current Heisman Trophy winner. This season he has thrown 40 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. Over his career, Mariota has thrown 103 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions in 1,130 passes. He has played in 40 games for Oregon and has at least one touchdown pass in every single game. “You’re talking about a guy who I think is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game,” Meyer said.

3) Urban Meyer’s place in history: Only one coach in the modern era of college football has won national championships at two different schools. Nick Saban won a national title at LSU in 2003 and three more at Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012). Ohio State’s Meyer, who won national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2008, would join Saban with a victory against Oregon. Meyer walked away from football after the 2010 season and sat out 2011 because of health concerns. Meyer was asked Monday if, after returning to coaching at Ohio State, he was confident he would get back to this point: “I don’t think so,” he said. Meyer is 141-26 in 13 seasons. He is the only coach with 20-game winning streaks at three different schools (Utah, Florida, Ohio State).

4) Cardale Jones: Ohio State’s sophomore quarterback has a chance to post the best three-game start of any player in history. He was the MVP of the Big Ten Championship game after replacing the injured J.T. Barrett. He threw for 243 yards and broke a lot of tackles in the CFP semifinals vs. Alabama. Now he has a chance to win a national championship in only his third start. Meyer said that in the first two games he and offensive coordinator Tom Herman limited what they asked Jones (6-5, 250) to do. Not in this game. “Nope. He has the keys to the car,” said Meyer.

5) The intangibles: When the game was set, it seemed a no-brainer to take Oregon. The Ducks are so fast (51 of 84 touchdowns drives were 2:15 or less). They have a veteran quarterback who does not make mistakes. Since losing its only game to Arizona on Oct. 2, the Ducks have won nine consecutive games by an average of 27.4 points. They avenged their only loss by beating Arizona 51-13 in the Pac-12 title game. They beat the undefeated and defending national champs (Florida State) by 39 points.

But the more one studies the game the more it seems that Ohio State has the edge on the line of scrimmage and the edge in coaching. Ohio State fell behind 21-6 to Alabama in New Orleans but the Buckeyes just kept playing. Logic says take Oregon. But on Monday logic will take the night off. OHIO STATE 35, OREGON 31

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/11/logic-says-take-oregon-but-i-like-the-buckeyes/feed/0barnhart1953Welcome to “Big D.” Where else would the first CFP Championship be?http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/09/welcome-to-big-d-where-else-would-the-first-cfp-championship-be/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/09/welcome-to-big-d-where-else-would-the-first-cfp-championship-be/#respondFri, 09 Jan 2015 13:51:23 -5Fri, 09 Jan 2015 13:51:23 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=550Dallas–When the creation of the College Football Playoff was announced, there was little doubt the first championship game would be here. Where else could it be but the biggest, shiniest, all-the-bells-and-whistles home of the Dallas Cowboys? There was no way that Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ colorful/rich owner, was going to let it be held anywhere else.

In case you’re wondering, the next two CFP national championship games will be in Glendale, ...]]>

Dallas–When the creation of the College Football Playoff was announced, there was little doubt the first championship game would be here. Where else could it be but the biggest, shiniest, all-the-bells-and-whistles home of the Dallas Cowboys? There was no way that Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ colorful/rich owner, was going to let it be held anywhere else.

In case you’re wondering, the next two CFP national championship games will be in Glendale, Ariz. (Jan. 11, 2016) and Tampa (Jan. 9, 2017). At least two more sites will be announced soon and Atlanta, which will have a new stadium by then, will bid for 2018.

And this much we can say about the new four-team playoff: Fans who have been clamoring that they want to see the championship decided in the field and not in the polls finally got their wish. Under the old BCS system Alabama and Florida State would have been playing for the championship Monday night. Ohio State (13-1) and Oregon (13-1) earned their way into the game by beating those two teams. What could be fairer than that?

Don’t say eight. Just don’t. We are nowhere near that conversation.

I’ll take a look at the key match ups of this game on Monday morning. Until then, here are three tidbits each on Oregon and Ohio State to keep in mind as you make your final pick:

OREGON

1) Turnover margin: I think it’s the most important stat in football because turnovers change the game more quickly that anything else. A team that is plus double-digits in turnovers (lost vs. gained) is usually pretty good. Oregon is a whopping plus-20 in turnovers (30 forced, only 10 lost).

2) Oregon’s tempo: We all know the Ducks like to move fast. How fast? They have 84 drives this season that resulted in touchdowns. Fifty-one of those drives lasted 2:15 or less. The opposing defense can’t catch its breath and the opposing offense thinks it has to score on every possession. That’s pressure.

3) How talented is Oregon? I’ll break down QB Marcus Mariota on Monday but consider this: In 2014 sophomore Byron Marshall ran for 1,038 yards. But then Royce Freeman arrived and he became the first freshman in Oregon history to rush for over a 1,000 yards (1,343). Oregon moved Marshall to wide receiver where he caught 66 passes this season.

OHIO STATE

1) Ezekiel Elliott: When quarterback J.T. Barrett got hurt and could not play in the Big Ten championship Elliott, the sophomore running back, was told he would have to pick up the slack. He ran for 220 yards against Wisconsin and then another 230 against Alabama. With all of the great backs who have played at Ohio State (Archie Griffin and Eddie George come quickly to mind), Elliott is the first to post back-to-back games of over 200 yards.

2) The Heisman finalists: There were three this season and after Monday night’s game Ohio State will have faced them all. The Buckeyes held Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, the nation’s leading rusher, to under 100 yards. They held Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, who had torched everybody all season, to 71 yards on nine catches. Now Ohio State’s defense faces the Heisman winner in Mariota.

3) Urban Meyer: I’ll have more on the Ohio State coach on Monday but munch on these numbers until then. Not only is Meyer 37-3 as Ohio State’s head coach, the Buckeyes are 5-0 as an underdog since he came to Columbus. In Meyer’s career (141-26 overall), his teams are 39-3 with more than one week to prepare.

Does that mean I’m picking an upset? We’ll discuss it again on Monday.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/09/welcome-to-big-d-where-else-would-the-first-cfp-championship-be/feed/0barnhart1953Who exceeded expectations? Let’s start with Tech’s Paul Johnsonhttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/06/who-exceeded-expectations-lets-start-with-techs-paul-johnson/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/06/who-exceeded-expectations-lets-start-with-techs-paul-johnson/#respondTue, 06 Jan 2015 13:49:34 -5Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:20:18 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=541Since the end of college football’s regular seasons fans have been spending a lot of time talking and tweeting and wringing their hands about players, coaches and teams that failed to live up to their expectations. We need a new head coach. We need a new coordinator. If we could just get Coach X or Transfer Y then “we” would be playing for the national championship on Monday night. It ...]]>Since the end of college football’s regular seasons fans have been spending a lot of time talking and tweeting and wringing their hands about players, coaches and teams that failed to live up to their expectations. We need a new head coach. We need a new coordinator. If we could just get Coach X or Transfer Y then “we” would be playing for the national championship on Monday night. It is a breathless exercise.

But who exceeded expectations in 2014? Don’t they deserve a little love, a little attention?

So here are five people or teams who defied conventional wisdom during the 2014 season:

1) Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech: People keep trying to write off CPJ and his “high school” offense but it is almost impossible to stop if he has the right quarterback (which he does in Justin Thomas) and a defense that forces turnovers (plus-11 turnover margin), which is what Ted Roof’s group did. Who finished better than the Jackets (11-3) with wins over Clemson (10-3), Georgia (10-3), a two-point loss to No. 3 Florida State (13-1) and a win over No. 7 Mississippi State (10-3) which was ranked No. 1 for four weeks?

2) The Big Ten: The Big Ten has to be on this list. When Michigan State lost to Oregon and Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech on Sept. 6, most of the world believed it would be the conference left out of the first College Football Playoff. Now Ohio State (13-1) is in the national title game. The Big Ten went 5-5 in bowls but picked up three huge wins over Alabama, Auburn, and Baylor on New Year’s Day. And now the entire conference has been energized with the arrival of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

3) Mark Helfrich, Oregon: After Oregon lost to Arizona (31-24) on Oct. 2, remember how many people said that Helfrich was no Chip Kelly and that he was out of his depth as coach of the Ducks? Since then Oregon has reeled off nine victories in a row by an average of 27.4 points, including a 39-point troucing of No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon is a much more physical team now. That’s the stamp Helfrich (24-3) has put on the program.

4) The College Football Playoffs: The numbers don’t lie. Last week’s national semifinals in the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl drew the two largest cable television audiences ever as about 28 million homes watched each game. That surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. It will be interesting to see what happens next season, when the semifinals move to Dec. 31 (Cotton, Orange).

5) Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri: The SEC has been getting beat up pretty good lately but it is worth noting that some teams did do better than expected and are on the cusp of a return to the national conversation.

Arkansas went 6-6 against one of the toughest schedules in the country and then dominated the bowl game with Texas. The Hogs established their identity and proved power football still works.

Tennessee (7-6) needed to win its bowl game with Iowa and did it impressively (45-28). The Vols upgraded their skill positions this season and now will do the same for the line of scrimmage with another highly ranked recruiting class coming up.

Missouri defied the odds by winning its final three games at Texas A&M, at Tennessee and at home against red-hot Arkansas to capture the SEC East championship for the second consecutive year. I didn’t think Missouri could do it, something my Missouri friends remind me about on a consistent basis.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/06/who-exceeded-expectations-lets-start-with-techs-paul-johnson/feed/0barnhart1953The reports of the SEC’s demise have been greatly exaggeratedhttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/04/the-reports-of-the-secs-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/04/the-reports-of-the-secs-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/#respondSun, 04 Jan 2015 18:00:34 -5Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:59:13 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=534Facts are facts. And the fact is that based on rankings, reputation and expectations, the SEC did not have a good bowl season.

Yes, the SEC won seven bowl games, which ties the conference’s NCAA record. But the 2-5 record of the SEC West, which included losses by No. 1 Alabama, No. 7 Mississippi State and No. 9 Ole Miss is a fact.

Facts are facts. And the fact is that based on rankings, reputation and expectations, the SEC did not have a good bowl season.

Yes, the SEC won seven bowl games, which ties the conference’s NCAA record. But the 2-5 record of the SEC West, which included losses by No. 1 Alabama, No. 7 Mississippi State and No. 9 Ole Miss is a fact.

With four teams (Mississippi State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama) in the top six of the first College Football Playoff rankings, the SEC West was being hailed as the best division in college football this season and maybe the best ever.

Based on the way the season played out, it was not. That’s a fact. It can’t be debated.

What can be debated, however, are the conclusions that people are drawing.

I’ve heard others say the SEC’s perceived dominance (seven of eight national championships between 2006 and 2013) was never real. It was simply the product of a media machine that intentionally overhyped the SEC to the exclusion of others. That hype made sure the conference got the benefit of the doubt when it came time to pick the teams in the BCS Championship game. Apparently those 200 voters in the Coaches and Harris polls were in on the conspiracy as well.

I’ve heard still others who are convinced that the absence of an SEC team in the national championship game is “good” for college football. They believe that SEC fatigue was real. In their minds the SEC was always overrated and last week’s results only prove that.

What drivel.

Ohio State dominated Alabama on Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes earned their way into Monday night’s national championship game with Oregon. It was the best coaching job I’ve ever seen Urban Meyer do and I’ve seen a lot of his games.

And if the standard for defining dominance moving forward is going to be wining seven out of eight national championships, then the SEC’s dominance “is” over. Since teams now have to win two games instead of one to hold up the trophy, then the basic math tells you that no conference will ever be that dominant again. That’s only logical.

But if you think that a tough stretch of bowl games over three days signals the end of the SEC as we have known it, then you haven’t been paying attention or you’re engaging in wishful thinking.

Nick Saban and Alabama aren’t going away. Auburn will fix its defense under Will Muschamp and again be a force. Texas A&M found their defensive coordinator in John Chavis. Nobody wants to play Arkansas right now. That great Ole Miss recruiting class of 2013 becomes juniors next season. If Dak Prescott comes back as expected Mississippi State will be a factor again. The much-maligned SEC East went 5-0 in bowl games.

Signing day is still a month away but right now three of the top five (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee) and seven of the top 14 schools in the 247Sports recruiting rankings are from the SEC. I’m not big on recruiting rankings but that has to mean something.

In the foreseeable future there are going to be four teams each year in the college football playoffs. Given the quality of the programs, the high level of coaching and the financial and recruiting resources the teams enjoy, is it not reasonable to believe that the SEC champion will be in playoff contention, indeed title contention, almost every year?

1) It capped a bad week for the SEC West: With six of its teams spending time in the Top 10 and with Alabama at No. 1, the SEC West had been hyped as one of the best divisions “ever” during the 2014 season. All seven members had qualified for bowl games. At the close of business at the Sugar Bowl ...]]>

Five things we learned during a wild New Year’s Day:

1) It capped a bad week for the SEC West: With six of its teams spending time in the Top 10 and with Alabama at No. 1, the SEC West had been hyped as one of the best divisions “ever” during the 2014 season. All seven members had qualified for bowl games. At the close of business at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night, the SEC West had gone 2-5 in postseason games. Auburn had lost to Wisconsin (34-31) and then Alabama, the SEC standard bearer for the national championship, was totally taken apart by Ohio State (42-35).. The day before No. 9 Ole Miss was embarrassed by TCU (42-3) and Mississippi State, which was ranked in the top four for most of the season, was easily handled by Georgia Tech (49-34). LSU was again inept on offense in a 31-28 loss to Notre Dame. Only Arkansas (7-6) and Texas A&M (8-5) upheld the division’s honor.

I was as guilty as anybody of singing the praises of the SEC West, but here is the cold reality: The SEC West had a bunch of decent teams but no great ones.

2) It was a great day for the Big Ten: On the field after the Sugar Bowl no one was smiling more than Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. Earlier in the day his conference, which was given up for dead after after Virginia Tech beat Ohio State and Oregon beat Michigan State on Sept. 6, picked up wins against Auburn (by Wisconsin) and No. 5 Baylor (42-41 by Michigan State). Now Ohio State, the very last team to get into the College Football Playoff, has a shot at the national championship. “Maybe this will hit the reset button on the Big Ten,” said Delany. And the league has also added Jim Harbaugh as the new coach at Michigan.

3) Alabama’s defense got taken to the woodshed: The Sugar Bowl was not as close as a 42-35 score might suggest. Alabama got up 21-6 because of a couple of Ohio State turnovers and when Alabama got two defensive stops in the red zone. “We never really stopped them,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the game. Ohio State dominated Alabama at the line of scrimmage for 281 rushing yards against a team that led the nation in that category (88.7 ypg). The Buckeyes took a third-team quarterback (Cardale Jones) making his second career start and controlled the game. That’s coaching and Urban Meyer and his staff out-coached Alabama.

4) Ohio State saved the CFP Selection Committee a lot of grief: If Alabama had soundly beaten Ohio State, and the Crimson Tide was a nine-point favorite, then the critics would have railed on the selection committee for leaving out TCU, which was No. 3 on the last Saturday of the season but dropped to No. 6 after a 55-3 win over Iowa State. While TCU was so impressive against Ole Miss, anybody who watched Ohio State dominate Alabama knows the Buckeyes have a real shot when they play Oregon on Jan. 12 for the national championship. Will all of this increase calls for an eight-team playoff? Sure. It would have been interesting to see what TCU could do against this field. But as I’ve written before, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

5) I was not completely surprised by what happened to Florida State: I picked Oregon to win the national semifinal in the Rose Bowl and I certainly didn’t pick the final score. But Florida State was walking a tightrope all season. To the Seminoles’ credit they found a way to win each and every week. But you just got the sense that when they fell they were going to fall hard. I wrote this in the summer and I will stand by it: The off-the-field issues with Jameis Winston, regardless of how they were resolved by the legal system, really took the joy out of this season for Florida State. An accomplishment that should been celebrated by the whole world was brought into question on a daily basis. Fair or not, that was the reality.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2015/01/02/it-was-a-bad-bad-week-for-the-sec-west/feed/0barnhart1953Five things you need to know about Alabama vs. Ohio Statehttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/30/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-alabama-vs-ohio-state/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/30/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-alabama-vs-ohio-state/#respondTue, 30 Dec 2014 16:08:49 -5Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:08:49 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=523New Orleans–There are at least a dozen ways to break down Thursday night’s national College Football Playoff semifinal between No. 1 Alabama (12-1) and No. 4 Ohio State (12-1). But there are five things you really need to know as you watch the Sugar Bowl:

1) This is not your father’s Ohio State: When former Florida coach Urban Meyer became head coach of the Buckeyes you knew he would go South ...]]>

New Orleans–There are at least a dozen ways to break down Thursday night’s national College Football Playoff semifinal between No. 1 Alabama (12-1) and No. 4 Ohio State (12-1). But there are five things you really need to know as you watch the Sugar Bowl:

1) This is not your father’s Ohio State: When former Florida coach Urban Meyer became head coach of the Buckeyes you knew he would go South to recruit faster and more athletic players. Two examples: Sophomore DE Joey Bosa, a unanimous All-American from Ft. Lauderdale, turned down Alabama to sign with Ohio State. Sophomore safety Von Bell, from Rossville, Ga. (Ridgeland HS), turned down Alabama and Tennessee to become a Buckeye. “I don’t think they’ve seen a defensive line like ours,” Bosa said.

2) But Ohio State hasn’t seen an offensive line like Alabama’s: Even Bosa agrees with this. Ohio State had 40 quarterback sacks this season, more than every SEC team except Missouri (42). But Alabama’s offensive line has done a great job of protecting the quarterback. Ohio State’s Bosa had 13.5 sacks this season. Alabama allowed only 13 sacks the ENTIRE season. In fact, Alabama faced seven of the SEC’s top eight players in sacks this season. Those seven players combined for only 2.5 sacks against the Crimson Tide.

3) The Tide had better keep an eye on Devin Smith: Ohio State has a lot of offensive weapons. The Buckeyes have scored 79 touchdowns this season, second only to Oregon’s 80 among the Power Five conference teams. Alabama’s only apparent weakness on defense has been the tendency to give up big passing plays. Auburn had 456 yards passing, a lot of it on big plays. Missouri had completions of 63, 47, and 32 yards in the SEC Championship game. Ohio State WR Devin Smith has 29 career touchdown catches. Twenty-three of those touchdowns have been for 20 yards or more. In fact, Smith has career average of 37.6 yards on his touchdown catches. “Devin has come a long, long way as a receiver,” said Tom Herman, Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.

4) Amari Cooper is the best player Ohio State has faced: Don’t take my word for it. Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell raved about the Biletnikoff Award winner who led the nation in receiving yards (1,656) and catches (115) this season. “It’s not just the catch to me. It’s the runs after the catch,” said Fickell, who compared Cooper to Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. “(He has) the ability to make something when there’s nothing there. He does the intangible things. He’s going to block and do some things that sometimes you don’t see the first-rounders or the truly top dogs do. So I think what we’ve seen is one of the most complete players we’ve played against.” Meyer said Cooper reminds him of Percy Harvin, the former Florida superstar. “When you have a guy like that you have to be creative in getting him the ball,” said Meyer.

5) Offense is fun, but defense still wins championships: There is no question that up-tempo offenses have changed the game. Nick Saban changed his offensive philosophy at Alabama by bringing in Lane Kiffin and the results have been impressive (37.1 ppg). Ohio State is No. 5 in scoring at 45.3 ppg. Still this must be said: Since the start of the 2009 season Alabama has gone 72-8 with three national championships and now has a chance to win a fourth. In that stretch of 80 games Alabama’s defense has allowed only 114 touchdowns. That is 35 fewer touchdowns than No. 2 on that list (LSU, 149), and 41 fewer than No. 3 (Florida, 155).

Happy New Year, everybody!

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/30/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-alabama-vs-ohio-state/feed/0barnhart1953Can Georgia’s Chubb crack the Louisville defense?http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/28/can-georgias-chubb-crack-the-louisville-defense/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/28/can-georgias-chubb-crack-the-louisville-defense/#respondSun, 28 Dec 2014 14:54:12 -5Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:25:36 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=507OK. That’s 18 bowl games down and 19 remaining. We’ve already seen some pretty wild stuff as four of Saturday’s five games were decided by five points or fewer. But trust me, folks, the fun is just getting started.

The national semifinals of the first College Football Playoff are on Thursday at the Rose Bowl (Oregon vs. Florida State) and the Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Ohio State). It will be a ...]]>

OK. That’s 18 bowl games down and 19 remaining. We’ve already seen some pretty wild stuff as four of Saturday’s five games were decided by five points or fewer. But trust me, folks, the fun is just getting started.

The national semifinals of the first College Football Playoff are on Thursday at the Rose Bowl (Oregon vs. Florida State) and the Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Ohio State). It will be a historic New Year’s Day that we’ll always remember. I’ll take a closer look at those games later in the week from New Orleans.

Until then, let’s look outside of the two semifinals at five burning questions that should get answered this week:

1) What will Nick Chubb’s yards per carry be against the Louisville defense? With the departure of Mike Bobo to Colorado State, tight ends coach John Lilly will call the plays for Georgia (9-3) in the Belk Bowl against Louisville (9-3). I can’t imagine any gameplan for the Bulldogs that doesn’t call for a big dose of No. 27. Georgia’s freshman running back averaged 6.9 yards per carry this season and will face a defense ranked No. 2 in the nation against the run that allows only 2.94 ypc. Something has to give.

2) How does the departure of defensive coordinator Geoff Collins impact Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl? The Bulldogs (10-2), No. 4 in the SEC in rushing defense (126.5 ypg) this season, have had three weeks to get ready for Georgia Tech’s option, which is No. 2 nationally in rushing (333.6 ypg). Normally that’s a good thing because against Paul Johnson’s offense preparation is everything. But since Dec. 16 the Bulldogs have been without Collins, who took the same position on Jim McElwain’s new staff at Florida. Cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend, in his first year as a college coach, will call the defensive signals.

3) Does Ole Miss make a statement against No. 6 TCU? Most experts don’t think Ole Miss (9-3) can beat the Horned Frogs (11-1) in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. But here’s the reality: Only one team beat No. 1 Alabama this season. That was Ole Miss. Only two teams beat Mississippi State this season. They were No. 1 Alabama and Ole Miss. The Rebels have the nation’s best scoring defense (13.8 ppg) while TCU has the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense (46.8 ppg). TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin (No. 4 in total offense at 363.0 ypg) is the X-factor.

4) Can Notre Dame hold on to the ball against LSU? That’s one of two key questions I have about the Music City Bowl. Notre Dame (7-5) lost 26 turnovers this season. Only 17 FBS teams lost more. A whopping 22 of those belong to quarterback Everett Golson. The other big question I have about this game concerns the rushing yardage of LSU freshman Leonard Fournette. Notre Dame is No. 61 nationally in stopping the run (161.7 ypg). Fournette (891 yards) needs 111 more to set the LSU record for rushing yards by a freshman (Justin Vincent, 2003). He may get that in the first half.

5) How excited is Wisconsin going to be to play Auburn? Let’s face it. Not much has gone right for the Badgers (10-3) since a 59-0 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. They pretty much got exposed by the Buckeyes, who used a third-team quarterback and were relentless with their up-tempo offense, something Auburn (8-4) does pretty well. Then coach Gary Andersen shocked Badger Nation by leaving for Oregon State. So AD Barry Alvarez will serve as coach for this game. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (179.7 ypg) is so good that attitude may not matter.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/28/can-georgias-chubb-crack-the-louisville-defense/feed/0barnhart1953Eight team playoff? It ain’t gonna happen anytime soonhttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/11/eight-team-playoff-it-aint-gonna-happen-anytime-soon/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/11/eight-team-playoff-it-aint-gonna-happen-anytime-soon/#respondThu, 11 Dec 2014 14:28:59 -5Thu, 11 Dec 2014 14:28:59 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=500Just a few thoughts as we close the book on the 2014 regular season:

1) The eight-team playoff isn’t going to happen anytime soon: Now that the first four-team playoff is set, some fans and some media are now clamoring for eight. If we just had eight, they argue, we wouldn’t have the hurt feelings at places like TCU and Baylor. Here’s the reality: The fact that we had the Ohio ...]]>

Just a few thoughts as we close the book on the 2014 regular season:

1) The eight-team playoff isn’t going to happen anytime soon: Now that the first four-team playoff is set, some fans and some media are now clamoring for eight. If we just had eight, they argue, we wouldn’t have the hurt feelings at places like TCU and Baylor. Here’s the reality: The fact that we had the Ohio State-TCU-Baylor tension in the last week of the regular season is exactly why the playoff format does not need to change. Here’s another fact: the CFP is a 12-year contract composed of three-year increments that allows each of the six bowls a chance to host the semifinals four times during the contract. We’re not going to even have a serious discussion about this for at least six years, if not more.

2) New Year’s Day is back!: The best thing about the CFP is that it makes New Year’s Day relevant again. The BCS provided a national championship game but it also rendered New Year’s Day to being just another day on the calendar. Under the CFP New Year’s Day becomes a two-day holiday (Dec. 31 and Jan. 1). To watch the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, knowing that the two winners advance to the national championship is going to be something none of us has ever experienced. In 2015 (Cotton and Orange) and 2016 (Fiesta and Peach) the semifinals will be on Dec. 31.

3) The Big 12 won’t overreact to getting left out: There is no doubt that the absence of a conference championship game hurt the Big 12. Just do the math: Ohio State was the Big Ten champ at 12-1. TCU and Baylor were co-champs of the Big 12 at 11-1. But what the Big 12 can’t do and won’t do is overreact and try to add two teams that don’t fit. You have to have 12 teams to hold a conference championship game but the Big 12 could petition the other Power Five conferences for a waiver of that rule or for the ability to schedule a 13th game. Would those conferences help a brother out and grant the waiver?

4) Mariota will win the Heisman, but by how much? Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon and Alabama WR Amari Cooper will join Oregon QB Marcus Mariota in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation on Saturday. The only mystery here is whether or not Mariota wins by the largest margin in Heisman Trophy history. That distinction belongs to O.J. Simpson who won the 1968 trophy by 1,750 points over Purdue’s Leroy Keyes.

5) Les Miles is not going to Michigan: Coaches (unless you’re Wisconsin’s Gary Andersen) leave for two reasons: 1) Better job; 2) More money. Neither of those things would be true if Miles left LSU for his alma mater. Miles is one of the highest paid coaches in college football ($4.3 million) and his staff makes a collective $5.5 million, which is No. 1 nationally according to a recent report in USA Today. He has a great talent base that allows him to compete for the SEC championship on a regular basis. He is some decent quarterback play away from contending for a championship in 2015. Michigan is a house divided with way too many cooks in the kitchen and an interim athletics director. As the late Jim Valvano said: “Don’t mess with Happy.”

So now we’re going to shut it down until Dec. 29 when we’ll come to you from New Orleans and the CFP semifinals. Thanks for a great year. Hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/11/eight-team-playoff-it-aint-gonna-happen-anytime-soon/feed/0barnhart1953Outside the CFP, Peach has the best bowl matchuphttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/09/outside-the-cfp-peach-has-the-best-bowl-match-up/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/09/outside-the-cfp-peach-has-the-best-bowl-match-up/#respondTue, 09 Dec 2014 13:56:31 -5Tue, 09 Dec 2014 13:34:12 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=487If there is no national championship hanging in the balance, I’ve always believed you need two things for a quality bowl game: Good teams and good storylines.

In that vein, here are my top five bowl games “outside” of the four-team playoff:

If there is no national championship hanging in the balance, I’ve always believed you need two things for a quality bowl game: Good teams and good storylines.

In that vein, here are my top five bowl games “outside” of the four-team playoff:

1) Peach: No. 6 TCU (11-1) vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (9-3), Dec. 31. Ole Miss has the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense (13.8 ppg) and TCU has the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense (46.8 ppg). TCU will be out to prove it, not Ohio State, deserved to be in the playoff. Ole Miss was No. 3 before brutal losses to LSU, Auburn and Arkansas followed by a redemptive win against Mississippi State.

2) Cotton: No. 5 Baylor (11-1) vs. No. 8 Michigan State (10-2), Jan. 1: Think Baylor’s Art Briles won’t try to make a statement against a Big Ten opponent? You’re talking about the Big 12 champion (don’t buy this co-champion stuff, Baylor won the head-to-head meeting) against a Michigan State team whose only losses are to No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State. Baylor has the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (48.8 ppg) while Michigan State is No. 7 in total defense (293.5 ypg).

3) Orange: Mississippi State (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (10-3), Dec. 31: Mississippi State was ranked No. 1 for three weeks and No. 4 for two weeks. The Bulldogs, whose only losses are to No. 1 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss, have a chance to win 11 games for the first time in school history. Think about this: Only three Georgia Tech teams in history (1951, 1952, 1990) have won 11 games. This Georgia Tech team, which finished so impressively, has a chance to be the fourth.

4) Belk: Georgia (9-3) vs. Louisville (9-3), Dec. 30: There is the obvious storyline of Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham coaching against his former team. Grantham, by the way, has the nation’s No. 6 defense (293.3 ypg). And here’s another thing: DeVante Parker, who had 35 catches for 735 yards in his last five games, is going to be the best wide receiver Georgia has seen this season. Throw in the always-lovable Bobby Petrino and Georgia’s need for some redemption, and you’ve got a compelling game.

5) Outback: Wisconsin (10-3) vs. Auburn (8-4), Jan. 1: Two teams that finished the season on a disappointing note and could really use a win. The Big Ten’s and nation’s leading rusher in Melvin Gordon (179.7 ypg) vs. the SEC’s leading rusher in Cameron Artis-Payne (123.5 ypg). It will be Nick Marshall’s last game as Auburn’s quarterback. I wonder how much Gus Malzahn will use his backup quarterback, Jeremy Johnson?

Texas: Arkansas (6-6) vs. Texas (6-6), Dec. 29: Two old Southwest Conferences foes who are on the comeback trail.

Alamo: Kansas State (9-3) vs. UCLA (9-3), Jan. 2: Kansas State’s three losses are to Auburn, TCU and Baylor. UCLA was impressive in its victory against Southern California but just collapsed in the season-finale against Stanford (31-10).

Music City: LSU (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (7-5), Dec. 30: I don’t care how good the teams are. It’s LSU vs. Notre Dame. It will be one long party in downtown Nashville.

Liberty: West Virginia (7-5) vs. Texas A&M (7-5), Dec. 29: Two wide-open offenses that are going to be fun to watch. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen would love to beat his old friends Kevin Sumlin and (OC) Jake Spavital.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/09/outside-the-cfp-peach-has-the-best-bowl-match-up/feed/0barnhart1953The selection committee did some thing wrong, but they got it righthttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/07/the-selection-committee-did-some-thing-wrong-but-they-got-it-right/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/07/the-selection-committee-did-some-thing-wrong-but-they-got-it-right/#respondSun, 07 Dec 2014 17:40:44 -5Sun, 07 Dec 2014 17:34:23 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=478Five things we learned on the last weekend of the regular season:

1) The selection committee did some things wrong but ultimately got it right: The journey looked a little strange and disjointed at times but in the end the semifinal matchups of No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State (Sugar) and No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State (Rose) were the right ones to make. In retrospect the ...]]>

Five things we learned on the last weekend of the regular season:

1) The selection committee did some things wrong but ultimately got it right: The journey looked a little strange and disjointed at times but in the end the semifinal matchups of No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State (Sugar) and No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State (Rose) were the right ones to make. In retrospect the committee made a mistake of moving TCU to No. 3 ahead of No. 4 Florida State last week. It put them in the uncomfortable position of moving TCU back to No. 6 after a rout of Iowa State 55-3. Still, these are two great semifinal games to kick off this era because. …

2) There will be dueling Heisman winners in Pasadena: Florida State’s Jameis Winston won the 2013 Heisman Trophy. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is going to pick up the hardware on Saturday night in New York. They will be on the same field on Jan. 1, 2015 in one national semifinal in the Rose Bowl. The last time there were two Heisman Trophy winners on the field was in the 2005 BCS Championship game when USC’s Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart played against Texas (also in Pasadena). The year before it was USC’s Leinart and Oklahoma’s Jason White facing off in the BCS championship game.

And speaking of great matchups. This will be the fourth meeting between Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer since 2008. The 2008 and 2009 SEC Championship games had a trip to the BCS Championship on the line. The other was a regular-season victory by Alabama (31-6) in Meyer’s last year at Florida (2010). The winner of this game also advances to the national championship.

3) The Big 12 shot itself in the foot: Sunday was not a good day for the Big 12 as its co-champions, Baylor (11-1) and TCU (11-1), were both left out of the playoffs. The first mistake the Big 12 made was this silly co-champions designation, which commissioner Bob Bowlsby said is done by rule. Well, it’s a dumb rule. Baylor beat TCU 61-58 back in October and should have been declared the champion when the Bears knocked off Kansas State on Saturday. The lack of a declared champion just made it easier for the committee to slip Ohio State, a 59-0 winner against Wisconsin, into the fourth slot.

Baylor also didn’t help itself by hiring a PR firm to lobby public support on the selection committee. Not a savvy move.

4) This may be Nick Saban’s best coaching job: After losing to Ole Miss (23-17) on Oct. 4 and having a close call against Arkansas (14-13) on Oct. 11, Saban wondered if his 2014 team had too many flaws to overcome. That is why, after Saturday night’s 42-13 victory against Missouri in the SEC Championship game, the celebration was long and intense. This was a championship that the Crimson Tide faithful really didn’t expect. And now Alabama is the No. 1 seed in the first College Football Playoff. “This has been one of my favorite groups to coach,” Saban said. “Nobody is selfish. Nobody has an agenda. In this day and time that is unusual.”

5) Mississippi State must have had a great week at practice: The Bulldogs (10-2), who had been ranked in the top four of the CFP rankings for six weeks, closed out its season with a 31-17 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 29. But in the final CFP rankings, without playing a game, Mississippi State jumped from No. 10 to No. 7. As a result the Bulldogs got the bid to play Georgia Tech (10-3) in the Orange Bowl instead of Michigan State (10-2), which was ranked No. 8 last week.

1) Does No. 16 Missouri (10-2) “really” have a chance to beat No. 1 Alabama (11-1) in the SEC Championship game? The Tigers have won five division titles (3 Big 12, 2 SEC) and played in three championship games since 2007 but haven’t won a conference title of any kind since 1969. But two things give them a shot at the Georgia Dome:

Alabama is ...]]>Our Five Burning Questions for Championship Saturday:

1) Does No. 16 Missouri (10-2) “really” have a chance to beat No. 1 Alabama (11-1) in the SEC Championship game? The Tigers have won five division titles (3 Big 12, 2 SEC) and played in three championship games since 2007 but haven’t won a conference title of any kind since 1969. But two things give them a shot at the Georgia Dome:

Alabama is minus-2 in turnover margin this season while Missouri is plus-nine. If Mizzou can force three turnovers or more the Tigers have a shot.

Alabama gave up 456 passing yards to Auburn last week, including seven plays of more than 21 yards. It’s hard to make a living driving the ball 80 yards against Alabama. But some big plays are there to be had.

Having said that, I’m picking Alabama to win 34-27.

2) If Alabama loses, does the SEC really get shut out of the college football playoff? After winning seven of the past eight national championships, how can that be possible?

Just do the math. In the latest CFP rankings, Alabama is No. 1, Mississippi State (10-2) is No. 10, Ole Miss (9-3) is No. 12 , Georgia (9-3) is No. 14 and Missouri (10-2) is No. 16. If Alabama loses, its hard to see the Crimson Tide staying in the top four. It’s hard to see the other teams making up that much ground,

3) Florida State is the defending national champions and has won 28 consecutive games. Can you give me “one” good reason Georgia Tech can beat them in the ACC Championship game?

Actually, I can give you five. Here are some key NCAA rankings for the Yellow Jackets:

Rushing, 333.8 ypg (3rd)

Third down conversions. 57.4 % (1st)

Fourth down conversions, 73.3% (7th)

Time of possession, 34 minutes per game (3rd)

Turnover margin, plus-11 (10th)

If Georgia Tech can surpass 35 minutes in time of possession and forces three turnovers or more, the Yellow Jackets will win.

And there is this. A year ago Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston threw 40 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. This season those numbers are 21 and 17. Florida State is minus-4 in turnover margin.

4) Can Ohio State win the Big Ten championship over Wisconsin with a third-team quarterback? The No. 5 Buckeyes (11-1) lost the Big Ten offensive player of the year (Braxton Miller) before the season started. Then they lost starting quarterback J.T. Barrett to a broken ankle last week against Michigan. Now they go with Cardale Jones, a 6-5 sophomore from Cleveland, who was neck-and-neck with Barrett last spring and summer when they were competing for the No. 2 job. Now all Jones is being asked to do is make his first career start in the Big Ten title game, which the Buckeyes must win to keep their hopes alive of making the college football playoff. Wisconsin (10-2) is a four-point favorite and has the nation’s top rusher in Melvin Gordon (188.3 ypg).

So the short answer is: No. I think the Badgers get it done.

5) Does the CFP selection committee have any surprises left? I wrote earlier this week that if the top four (Alabama, Oregon, TCU, Florida State) all won then the final rankings would be unchanged. But consider this: No. 4 Florida State plays No. 11 Georgia Tech while No. 3 TCU plays Iowa State (2-9). If Florida State wins it would be 13-0 to TCU’s 11-1 and could jump back into No. 3. If No. 5 Ohio State loses to Wisconsin and No. 6 Baylor beats No. 9 Kansas State, then it would then be a square head-to-head comparison between TCU and Baylor for the final spot. It would give the committee one last chance to give Baylor credit for beating TCU on the field (61-58).

I’m just sayin’.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/05/two-reasons-missouri-can-win-five-reasons-georgia-tech-can-win/feed/0barnhart1953Selection committee stunner: TCU at No. 3 and FSU at No. 4http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/02/selection-committee-stunner-tcu-at-no-3-and-fsu-at-no-4/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/12/02/selection-committee-stunner-tcu-at-no-3-and-fsu-at-no-4/#respondTue, 02 Dec 2014 20:12:03 -5Tue, 02 Dec 2014 20:05:23 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=458The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night and the selection committee made some stunning decisions that have set the table for a wild final weekend of the regular season.

The biggest surprise was undefeated Florida State (12-0) dropping from No. 3 to No. 4 after yet another close call, this one coming against Florida (24-19). TCU (10-1) jumped from No. 5 to No. 3 after 48-10 win over ...]]>

The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night and the selection committee made some stunning decisions that have set the table for a wild final weekend of the regular season.

The biggest surprise was undefeated Florida State (12-0) dropping from No. 3 to No. 4 after yet another close call, this one coming against Florida (24-19). TCU (10-1) jumped from No. 5 to No. 3 after 48-10 win over Texas. That is bad news for No. 6 Baylor, which beat TCU (61-58) in the regular season, and for No. 5 Ohio State (11-1).

The bottom line: If the top four teams in Tuesday night’s rankings all win this weekend, they are very likely to remain in the same order when the final CFP rankings are announced at 12:45 p.m. Sunday on ESPN. Here is what you need to know about the teams that have a realistic shot at getting into the playoffs:

1) Alabama (11-1): It’s really simple for the Crimson Tide. Beat No. 16 Missouri (10-2) for the SEC championship and they will be in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and play their national semifinal in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. If Missouri wins at the Georgia Dome, the SEC will likely get shut out.

2) Oregon (11-1): Ditto for the Ducks, who play No. 7 Arizona in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night. Oregon’s only loss was to Arizona (31-24) on Oct. 2. Win and the Ducks are Rose Bowl bound.

3) TCU (11-1): The Horned Frogs have obviously impressed the committee as a superior team to Baylor despite the head-to-head loss to the Bears. At this point they look like a lock if they beat Big 12 bottom feeder Iowa State (2-9) on Saturday.

4) Florida State (12-0): Beat Georgia Tech (10-2) in the ACC Championship game and Florida State gets the chance to defend its national title. While dropping a spot may hurt the Seminoles’ pride, it would give them a trip to the Sugar instead of the Rose and a matchup with No. 1 Alabama in the semifinals, presuming an Alabama victory.

5) Ohio State (11-1): First of all, the Buckeyes have to beat No. 13 Wisconsin (10-2) in the Big Ten title game without starting QB J.T. Barrett. Even if Ohio State wins with QB Cardale Jones, the CFP selection committee can take the Barrett injury into account before making its final decision.

6) Baylor (11-1): The Bears can tie TCU for the Big 12 championship with a win over No. 9 Kansas State (9-2) in Waco. But Baylor is going to have to win big just to get back into the conversation. The fact that the resumes will be the same and that Baylor won the head-to-head meeting with TCU will be one of the most controversial decisions this first selection committee has made.

7) Arizona (10-2): The Wildcats lost to USC (28-26) and UCLA (17-7) during the regular season but are the highest ranked of the two-loss teams, moving ahead of Michigan State, because of their win over Oregon. If they beat Oregon a second time could Rich Rod’s team get into the discussion?

The rest of the two-loss teams appear to have too much ground to make up with only one game left:

Georgia Tech (10-2) is in the ACC Championship game but is ranked No. 11. Missouri (10-2) reached the SEC Championship game but only moved from No. 17 to No. 16. No. 9 Kansas State (9-2) can tie for the Big 12 title by beating Baylor, but the Wildcats lost to TCU and to non-conference Auburn. Wisconsin (10-2) only jumped one spot to No. 13 and can’t get back in even if the Badgers beat Ohio State.

If any of the top four gets beat this weekend, chaos will reign. Buckle up. It could be a bumpy ride.

1) Missouri can beat Alabama: Let me say up front that I’m picking No. 1 Alabama (11-1) to beat Missouri (10-2) in the SEC Championship game on Saturday (4 p.m, CBS) at the Georgia Dome. But if you think it’s going to be a walk in the park for the Crimson Tide, then you haven’t been paying attention to the Tigers. ...]]>

Five things we learned as we head to Championship Weekend:

1) Missouri can beat Alabama: Let me say up front that I’m picking No. 1 Alabama (11-1) to beat Missouri (10-2) in the SEC Championship game on Saturday (4 p.m, CBS) at the Georgia Dome. But if you think it’s going to be a walk in the park for the Crimson Tide, then you haven’t been paying attention to the Tigers. Yes I know they lost to dreadful Indiana (4-8) . I know they lost 34-0 at home to Georgia. I know that the seven SEC teams Missouri did beat had a collective conference record of 17-39. But I also know that Missouri won at Texas A&M, won at Tennessee and beat Arkansas to lock down the SEC East. I know that Gary Pinkel, Nick Saban’s teammate at Kent State, is a top-notch coach. I also know that Alabama gave up 630 yards and 44 points to Auburn. Alabama wins, but it won’t be easy.

2) The SEC dodged a huge bullet on Saturday: The SEC had a bad day on Saturday going 0-4 against the ACC and then losing Mississippi State as a playoff contender when the No. 4 Bulldogs fell 31-17 to Ole Miss. But a bad day almost turned into a disaster when Auburn took a 33-21 lead over No. 1 Alabama in the third quarter in Tuscaloosa. At that point the SEC was looking at the real possibility of getting shut out of the first college football playoff. Alabama put together a 34-3 run on the way to a historic 55-44 win in the Iron Bowl. So Alabama will remain No. 1 when the new CFP rankings are released on Tuesday.

3) Alabama’s Amari Cooper has to get an invite to New York: While I’ll concede that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is the leader for the Heisman Trophy, Cooper left no doubt that he is one of the best players in America with his 13-catch, 224-yard performance against Auburn. He has to be among the Heisman finalists. And while we’re at it: Who’s done a better job of coaching this season than Alabama OC Lane Kiffin? He should win the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant.

4) Hopefully we’ve heard the last about Paul Johnson’s “high school” offense: I’ve heard from a lot of Georgia Tech fans who wanted to get rid of Paul Johnson not just because he didn’t win enough games (28 in the previous four seasons), but because they were convinced that his triple option offense was hurting Tech in the recruiting rankings. What we learned Saturday is that when Johnson has the right quarterback (Justin Thomas) who can throw it a little bit and has an opportunistic defense (forced three turnovers), Johnson’s teams can play with anybody. Florida State (12-0) will learn that Saturday in the ACC Championship game.

5) The CFP selection committee has a tough decision coming with Ohio State: Ohio State (11-1) has advanced to the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin (10-2) but the No. 6 Buckeyes must play without starting quarterback J.T. Barrett, who is out for the season after breaking an ankle against Michigan. A 12-1 Big Ten champ might have an edge over an 11-1 Big 12 champion for the fourth playoff spot. But the selection committee has the right to take the Barrett injury into account when making its final decision next Sunday. Let’s see if No. 7 Baylor (10-1) jumps the Buckeyes in Tuesday’s new rankings.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/30/missouri-can-beat-alabama-in-the-sec-championship-game/feed/0barnhart1953Can Georgia now focus on Georgia Tech? If not, Bulldogs get beathttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/28/can-georgia-now-focus-on-georgia-tech-if-not-bulldogs-get-beat/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/28/can-georgia-now-focus-on-georgia-tech-if-not-bulldogs-get-beat/#respondFri, 28 Nov 2014 18:19:20 -5Fri, 28 Nov 2014 18:19:20 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=445Our Five Burning Questions about the SEC as November draws to a close:

1) Georgia learned Friday that it is not going to the SEC championship game. Will there be a letdown or a lack of focus against Georgia Tech? Let’s put it this way: If Georgia (9-2) lacks focus against Georgia Tech (9-2) the Bulldogs are going to get beat. Remember that the Georgia defense that played so well against ...]]>

Our Five Burning Questions about the SEC as November draws to a close:

1) Georgia learned Friday that it is not going to the SEC championship game. Will there be a letdown or a lack of focus against Georgia Tech? Let’s put it this way: If Georgia (9-2) lacks focus against Georgia Tech (9-2) the Bulldogs are going to get beat. Remember that the Georgia defense that played so well against Auburn gave up 418 yards rushing against Florida just 28 days ago. The 27 players who are going to be honored on Georgia’s senior day have never lost to Georgia Tech. And then there is this: Georgia Tech is pretty good.

2) Can Auburn’s Gus Malzahn go to where only two men have gone before? As is usually the case, there is a lot riding on the Iron Bowl. Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) is again No. 1 and a win puts the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship game with a shot at the first College Football Playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Auburn (8-3, 4-3) has had a disappointing season by its standards but for the second straight year can crush Alabama’s dreams. But consider this little nugget: After the now-legendary “Kick Six” that gave Auburn the win last season, this is definitely a “revenge game” for Alabama coach Nick Saban. Only twice at Alabama has an opposing coach beaten Saban in consecutive years (Steve Spurrier in 2000-01, Les Miles 2010-11). Gus could be the third.

3) Does Mississippi State need to win with “style points” at Ole Miss? Under normal circumstances, just winning the Egg Bowl (for the fifth time in six years) would be enough for the No. 4 Bulldogs (10-1, 6-1). But these are far from normal circumstances. Mississippi State first needs to win, which won’t be easy in Oxford, but there are three one-loss teams (TCU, Baylor, Ohio State) bearing down on them for the last spot in the playoffs. Mississippi State could still get to the SEC championship game if it wins and Alabama loses but that game is later on Saturday. The short answer to this question is a most emphatic “yes.”

4) Can Florida send Will Muschamp out with a win at Florida State? Muschamp will coach his last game for the Gators against the No. 3 Seminoles in Tallahassee. The way that Florida State has been living on the edge (they needed a field goal with three seconds left to beat Boston College), you have to say that anything is possible. But I just don’t think the struggling Florida offense can manufacture enough points in a game like this. But here is the X-factor: For all of his late-game heroics, FSU’s Jameis Winston has been sloppy with the football throwing 13 interceptions this season.

5) Will this be Steve Spurrier’s last regular-season game as the head coach at South Carolina? Spurrier, in his 10th season at South Carolina (6-5, 2-5), will be going for his sixth straight win over Clemson (8-3) on Saturday at Death Valley. It has been an incredibly frustrating season for Spurrier, whose team was in just about everybody’s preseason Top 10. The offense has been good but the defense has given up an average of 34.6 points in its last five SEC games. So the question becomes: Is Spurrier, who turns 70 next year, frustrated enough to walk away? I don’t think so. He does not want to go out like this.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/28/can-georgia-now-focus-on-georgia-tech-if-not-bulldogs-get-beat/feed/0barnhart1953New CFP rankings are set up for a very intense finishhttp://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/25/new-cfp-rankings-are-set-up-for-a-very-intense-finish/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/25/new-cfp-rankings-are-set-up-for-a-very-intense-finish/#respondTue, 25 Nov 2014 21:00:29 -5Tue, 25 Nov 2014 19:53:03 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=435With only one team in the CFP Top 10 losing last week (Ole Miss), no changes at the top were expected when the new rankings were released Tuesday night.

There weren’t. The top seven from a week ago stayed the same. But this much is clear: The final two weeks of the regular season are going to be intense.

With only one team in the CFP Top 10 losing last week (Ole Miss), no changes at the top were expected when the new rankings were released Tuesday night.

There weren’t. The top seven from a week ago stayed the same. But this much is clear: The final two weeks of the regular season are going to be intense.

Here is a look at the new CFP Top 10 and what it will take for each team to get to the four-team playoff:

1) Alabama (10-1): Alabama has to win Saturday at home against Auburn (8-3), which will put the Crimson Tide into the SEC Championship game against No. 9 Georgia (9-2) or No. 17 Missouri (9-2). Win at the Georgia Dome and Alabama is in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

2) Oregon (10-1): Oregon goes to Oregon State (5-6) on Saturday and has already locked up a spot in the Pac-12 championship game against UCLA, Arizona or Arizona State. Beat Oregon State and win the Pac-12 title game and the Ducks are in as the No. 2 seed.

3) Florida State (11-0): The Seminoles get Florida (6-4) at home on Saturday and will then play Georgia Tech (9-2) in the ACC title game. Finish 13-0 and Florida State will be in. Lose and the ‘Noles, who could have lost in six different tight games, are likely out.

4) Mississippi State (10-1): Now it gets interesting. The Bulldogs stayed at No. 4 after a 51-0 victory against Vanderbilt and now must win at No. 19 Ole Miss (8-3) on Saturday. If Alabama loses to Auburn then Mississippi State gets to the SEC Championship game where a victory would definitely put the Bulldogs in. If they don’t get to the Dome, will 11-1 with no conference title be enough to stay at No. 4?

5) TCU (9-1): The Horned Frogs have to win at Texas (6-5) on Thursday and Iowa State (2-8) on Dec. 6 in Fort Worth but it may not be enough. TCU’s less stressful road would be for Baylor to lose to Kansas State on Dec. 6.

6) Ohio State (10-1): The Buckeyes should cruise on Saturday against Michigan (5-6) and then get Wisconsin (9-2) or Minnesota (8-3) in the Big Ten championship game. Could a 12-1 Big Ten champ jump ahead of Mississippi State, Baylor and TCU, all at 11-1?

7) Baylor (9-1): The Bears have to beat Texas Tech in Arlington on Saturday, and No. 12 Kansas State at home on Dec. 6. Then they have to hope that the head-to-head victory against TCU (61-58) is enough to jump TCU and a 12-1 Ohio State into the Top 4.

8) UCLA (9-2): UCLA was impressive in beating Southern California 38-20 last Saturday and jumped from No. 9 to No. 8. If UCLA beats Stanford at home on Friday the Bruins advance to the Pac-12 championship where they will get a second shot at Oregon. UCLA lost at home to Oregon (42-30) on Oct. 11.

9) Georgia (9-2): The Bulldogs need a lot of help. They need Missouri (9-2) to lose at home to Arkansas (6-5) on Friday and then beat No. 16 Georgia Tech at home on Saturday. Georgia would then have a shot against No. 1 Alabama or No. 4 Mississippi State in the SEC title game. Would an 11-2 SEC champion that beat No. 1 Alabama get in over a one-loss Ohio State or Big 12 champ? That is the question the committee would have to answer.

10) Michigan State (9-2): The Spartans can’t get there even though their losses are to No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 Ohio State. Michigan State closes out the season at Penn State and will be a strong candidate for one of the remaining big bowls in the CFP, possibly the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

1) Friday is going to be a significant day: Games on the Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally bring good ratings and that will certainly be the case this Friday as the winners of both the SEC East and the Pac-12 South will be decided.

At 2:30 p.m. on CBS, Missouri (9-2, 6-1 SEC) hosts Arkansas (6-5, 2-5), one of the hottest teams in the country. ...]]>

What we learned on the Saturday before Thanksgiving:

1) Friday is going to be a significant day: Games on the Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally bring good ratings and that will certainly be the case this Friday as the winners of both the SEC East and the Pac-12 South will be decided.

At 2:30 p.m. on CBS, Missouri (9-2, 6-1 SEC) hosts Arkansas (6-5, 2-5), one of the hottest teams in the country. If Missouri wins, it goes to the SEC Championship game for the second consecutive year. If Arkansas wins, then Georgia (9-2, 6-2) goes to the Georgia Dome.

At 3:30 p.m., two Pac-12 games will be played simultaneously to decide who gets to play Oregon in the conference championship game.

If UCLA (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) beats Stanford (6-5, 4-4) on ABC, the Bruins win the South Division. If UCLA loses, the winner of the Arizona State at Arizona game (on FOX) goes to Santa Clara on Dec. 5 to play the Ducks.

2) If Missouri beats Arkansas, the Tigers will have absolutely, positively earned the trip to the Dome: No one from Georgia should complain if Missouri gets to the SEC title game. Yes, Georgia did beat the Tigers 34-0 in Columbia, Mo. But Missouri beat South Carolina and Florida and Georgia did not. Missouri had to beat two hot teams (Texas A&M and Tennessee) on the road to set up the game with Arkansas. Yes, the six SEC teams Missouri has beaten to date have a combined conference record of 14-31. Doesn’t matter. But one favor, Missouri fans. Quit saying that you don’t get any respect because you do. It’s a lazy argument.

3) Florida at Florida State now looks interesting: Will Muschamp’s last game as Florida’s coach will be Saturday when the Gators (6-4) go to No. 3 Florida State (11-0). The Seminoles have been living on the edge all season and needed a field goal with three seconds left to beat Boston College 20-17 in Tallahassee. People will draw comparisons to 2004 when Ron Zook, another lame-duck Florida coach, won at No. 10 Florida State 20-13 in his last game with the Gators. One big difference: That Florida State team did not have Jameis Winston at quarterback.

4) Speaking of Winston: The people who thought he should have been tossed against Boston College have too much time on their hands. Yes, Winston did get into a little pushing match with an official who, correctly, was allowing Boston College to match substitutions when FSU was trying to go hurry up. What the official should have done was blow the whistle, stop play and say to Winston: “No. 5, what are you doing?” Then he should have warned the quarterback and his head coach. The rules on standing over the ball for substitutions are clear. But those who suggested a penalty and ejection were in order were apparently in some kind of Twitter-induced coma. That’s one of the side effects of Winston’s issues off the field. He is never going to get the benefit of the doubt outside of Leon County, Fla.

5) There should be no changes in the CFP top seven: No. 6 Ohio State played around with Indiana before winning 42-27. No. 3 Florida State, as we mentioned, beat Boston College with a last-second field goal. It cost the Seminoles the No. 1 spot in the coaches poll (Alabama took over) but I don’t think it impacts their status in the new CFP rankings that will be released Tuesday night. So I’m going with the status quo this week. After looking at this weekend’s schedule, there is the potential for big changes next week.

1) Can Missouri win its 10th consecutive game on the road? Missouri (8-2, 5-1 SEC) needed 589 total yards and a goal line stand on its 1-yard line to beat Texas A&M 34-27 at College Station. If the Tigers win at Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) ...]]>

The SEC schedule looks a little thin with only three conference games and five non-conference games that probably won’t be competitive. Still, some big things could happen:

1) Can Missouri win its 10th consecutive game on the road? Missouri (8-2, 5-1 SEC) needed 589 total yards and a goal line stand on its 1-yard line to beat Texas A&M 34-27 at College Station. If the Tigers win at Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) Saturday night and at home against Arkansas (5-5, 1-5) on Nov. 28, they will go to the SEC Championship game for the second year in a row. Georgia, which plays Charleston Southern earlier in the day, will be at home watching Missouri (at 7:30 p.m.) try to win its 10th road game a row. A Missouri loss puts Georgia into the SEC title game for the third time in four seasons.

2) Can Arkansas win its second SEC game in a row and end the dreams of Ole Miss? Arkansas halted its 17-game SEC game losing streak last week with a 17-0 shutout of LSU. Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) can still get to the SEC Championship game by winning its last two while Alabama loses to Auburn on Nov. 29. Arkansas could put an end to those Ole Miss dreams with a win at Fayetteville. Ole Miss is pretty rested, having played Presbyterian on Nov. 8 and taking last week off.

3) Will Mississippi State win impressively against Vanderbilt or come out flat? Mississippi State (9-1, 5-1) only dropped to No. 4 in the CFP poll after losing to Alabama. If the Bulldogs want to stay there they must win their final two regular-season games against Vanderbilt (3-7, 0-6) at home and Ole Miss on the road. TCU (9-1), Ohio State (9-1) and Baylor (8-1) are waiting for Mississippi State to stumble. The Bulldogs can’t afford to have an Alabama hangover against the Commodores.

4) How long will QB Blake Sims, RB T.J. Yeldon and WR Amari Cooper play against Western Carolina? Alabama coach Nick Saban did not want to hear any nonsense about resting his starters in Saturday’s game against the Catamounts of the Southern Conference. But the reality is that part of this week is dedicated to getting ready for Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Yeldon may not get on the field because of a bad ankle. If any of those guys are still playing in the third quarter it will be a surprise.

5) What will be the mood for Will Muschamp’s last home game at Florida? Here’s a guess that there are going to be a lot of empty seats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday when the Gators (5-4, 4-4) host Eastern Kentucky. But the fact is that a win makes Florida bowl eligible after a 4-8 season in 2013. If Florida’s opening game with Idaho had been played (cancelled due to storms), the Gators would be going for their seventh win. Muschamp, in his fourth season at Florida, resigned under pressure last Sunday. The Gators travel to Florida State on Nov. 29 to close out the regular season.

This is not a question. But it is worth noting: If South Carolina (5-5, 3-5) beats South Alabama (7-4) on Saturday, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier will have a team qualify for a bowl for the 24th consecutive season. The only team Spurrier has coached that did not win six games was his first team at Duke (5-6) in 1987.

]]>http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/20/can-mizzou-win-10th-straight-on-road-georgia-sure-hopes-not/feed/0barnhart1953Alabama jumps to No. 1; Miss. State only falls to No. 4http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/18/alabama-jumps-to-no-1-miss-state-only-falls-to-no-4/
http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/2014/11/18/alabama-jumps-to-no-1-miss-state-only-falls-to-no-4/#respondTue, 18 Nov 2014 20:30:46 -5Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:03:47 -5http://mrcollegefootball.blog.ajc.com/?p=410There were two big questions in search of answers Tuesday night when the College Football Playoff selection committee released its fourth set of rankings:

Who would be the new No. 1 after Mississippi State lost at Alabama?

How far would Mississippi State fall?

Answers: Alabama and No. 4.

Alabama used its 25-20 victory against Mississippi State to jump from No. 5 to No. 1 in the new rankings followed by Oregon and undefeated Florida ...]]>

There were two big questions in search of answers Tuesday night when the College Football Playoff selection committee released its fourth set of rankings:

Who would be the new No. 1 after Mississippi State lost at Alabama?

How far would Mississippi State fall?

Answers: Alabama and No. 4.

Alabama used its 25-20 victory against Mississippi State to jump from No. 5 to No. 1 in the new rankings followed by Oregon and undefeated Florida State. The SEC has a chance to get two teams in the four-team playoff as Mississippi State dropped to No. 4 followed by TCU, Ohio State and Baylor.

Here is the road map for the final three Saturdays of the regular season:

1) Alabama (9-1): It’s pretty simple for the Crimson Tide. They have to win a non-conference scrimmage against Western Carolina, beat No. 14 Auburn (7-3) and then either No. 10 Georgia or No. 20 Missouri in the SEC Championship game. Win those three and Alabama is in the playoff, likely as the top seed.

2) Oregon (9-1): The Ducks have already clinched the Pac-12 North and finish up the season at home against Colorado (2-8) and at Oregon State (5-5), which upset previously No. 6 Arizona State 35-28 last Saturday.

3) Florida State (10-0): The Seminoles remained at No. 3 after a close call at Miami. They have already clinched a spot in the ACC title game. FSU plays Boston College (6-4) on Saturday and then hosts Florida (5-4). There is no doubt Florida State gets in the playoff at 13-0. The only question is where the Seminoles will be seeded.

4) Mississippi State (9-1): The Bulldogs can finish 11-1 by topping Vanderbilt (3-7) at home on Saturday and No. 8 Ole Miss (8-2) on the road. If Alabama loses to Auburn next week Mississippi State can still get to Atlanta for the SEC title game. If Mississippi State goes 11-1, does a 12-1 Ohio State (Big Ten champ) or an 11-1 Big 12 champ knock the Bulldogs out of the last playoff spot?

5) TCU (9-1): The Horned Frogs dropped from No. 4 after getting a 34-30 scare at Kansas (3-7). There is not a lot of heft left on the schedule as TCU plays at improving Texas (6-5) on Thanksgiving night and Iowa State (2-7) on Dec. 6.

6) Ohio State (9-1): In two weeks the Buckeyes have jumped from No. 14 to No. 6. But unless a bunch of teams above them lose it’s hard to see them getting into the top four. Ohio State should easily win its last two games with Indiana (3-7) and Michigan (5-5). The best team it could meet in the Big Ten championship game is No. 16 Wisconsin (8-2).

7) Baylor (8-1): The Bears stayed at No. 7 after an off week. They still have games remaining with Oklahoma State (5-5), Texas Tech (3-7) and No. 12 Kansas State (7-2).

8) Ole Miss (8-2): The Rebels have to win their last two games at Arkansas (5-5) and at home against No. 4 Mississippi State. Ole Miss can get to Atlanta if it beats Mississippi State and Alabama loses to Auburn. But could a two-loss SEC champion get into the playoff?

9) UCLA (8-2): The Pac-12 South is wide open but the Bruins could take a big step by beating USC (7-3) Saturday at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins finish with Stanford (5-5). Win them both and UCLA gets rematch at No. 2 Oregon, which won the first meeting 42-30.

10) Georgia (8-2): The Bulldogs have finished their SEC schedule and have games left with Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech (9-2). If Missouri loses one of its last two games to Tennessee (in Knoxville) or Arkansas (at home), Georgia goes to the SEC Championship game.